Metro FMR · CBSA 11700 · HUD FY2026

Asheville, NC MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Asheville, NC MSA metro area - 49% above the US average.

$1,429
1-bedroom FMR
$1,567
2-bedroom FMR
+6.1%
YoY change
+49%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Asheville, NC MSA area rents at $1,567 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 33% above the US average, higher than 73% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#104
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+33%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$62,680
income to afford it (30% rule)
+6.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Asheville: #104 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $69,236, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 24.8% of annual income. It remains below the 30% affordability guide, but is a material part of a median-income household's budget.

The 2-bedroom figure places Asheville in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 407,332 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 46.8% of the 51,368 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$1,227/mo

21.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,429/mo

24.8% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,567/mo

27.2% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,905/mo

33.0% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,629/mo

45.6% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·11700

Asheville: $1,429/mo 1BR · #104 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 11700

  • CBSA 11700
  • 1BR-FMR $1,429
  • 2BR-FMR $1,567
  • RANK-MID #104
  • YOY-SURGE +6.1%
  • VSUS-HIGH +49%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #14 NC
  • INC-MID 25%
  • POP-MAJOR 407K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,286–$1,572
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anson County ($562 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Asheville sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,567 Top 27% higher than 73% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). This entry sits in this band. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 11700

Counties inside Asheville

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 11700, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,567–$1,567, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Buncombe County 2BR $1,567 · 269K Henderson County 2BR $1,567 · 116K Madison County 2BR $1,567 · 21K

Asheville studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #104 nationally

1BR $1,429 (+49% vs US, +6.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 11700.

Studio
$1,227
US avg $893
↓4.6% YoY +37% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,429
US avg $959
↑6.1% YoY +49% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,567
US avg $1,175
↑3.6% YoY +33% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,905
US avg $1,525
↓2.0% YoY +25% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,629
US avg $1,756
↑2.5% YoY +50% vs US

How Asheville compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NC metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Asheville highlighted among 4 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Asheville: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Asheville with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside NC (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside NC

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Greeley
CO · 2 BR $1,563/mo
Rochester
NY · 2 BR $1,573/mo
Winchester
VA · 2 BR $1,573/mo
Salem
OR · 2 BR $1,560/mo

Burden % · outside NC

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway
SC · 27.2% of income · 2 BR $1,465/mo
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor
FL · 27.1% of income · 2 BR $1,604/mo
Santa Fe
NM · 27.1% of income · 2 BR $1,685/mo
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
FL · 27.1% of income · 2 BR $1,785/mo

Asheville: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Asheville, NC MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Asheville, NC MSA is $1,429 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,567 and a studio is $1,227.
How does Asheville, NC MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Asheville, NC MSA metro area is 49% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,429 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Asheville rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,567 ranks #104 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Asheville metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 11700, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,567–$1,567 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Asheville vs Anson County →

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $1,429/mo · 1BR NC

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.